👑 If I were king (or queen) ... | Sports Daily Newsletter

We’ve all had that thought: “If I were in charge ...”

Things would be so much better if we were given the reins, wouldn’t they?

Well this morning, I’m going to give the reins to this space over to Mike Jensen, who shares what he would do if he were in charge of college sports.

My first move … an obvious one. The NCAA men’s tournament stays at 68 teams. Don’t think about adding any more. Everyone else can play in the NIT for all I care.

Next: Resurrect the PAC-8. That’s right, 8. Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado can move on if they wish. The actual West Coast schools aren’t going anywhere. I’m not subject to ESPN, Fox Sports, or Phil Knight’s Nike money, although Bill Walton may personally thank me if he so chooses.

After 35 years, Jensen has more on the landscape of the NCAA in his farewell to The Inquirer.

— Maria McIlwain, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓If you were in charge of college sports, what’s the first thing you would do? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The 76ers have already won the James Harden trade. That much becomes clearer every day as Tyrese Maxey embraces his lead guard role and the players acquired in the deal add key depth. They’re flush with assets and playing with house money. So of course the Sixers came up when news spread that the Chicago Bulls were being more aggressive in shopping star guard Zach LaVine. But sources suggest that the Sixers plan to ride their hot start and pick the perfect piece to make them more of a contender.

As it turns out it becomes apparent the Sixers could use the assistance — after suffering a 132-125 NBA Cup loss to Indiana at the Wells Fargo Center last night. It snapped an eight-game win streak. Our reporter Keith Pompey has all the details.

Next: The Sixers play the second half of their home back-to-back at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against the Boston Celtics (ESPN).

You see the Eagles cheerleaders at halftime and during breaks in the game every Sunday.

But that is only a small part of their roles as ambassadors with the team, from charity events to overseas trips to visit the military to balancing their full-time careers. We talked to cheerleaders from nearly every decade about what cheering for the Eagles organization meant to them and the squad’s 75-year legacy as an innovator in that space.

Next: The Eagles play a Super Bowl LVII rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m., ESPN, 6ABC).

On Monday, there was a court storming at the Palestra following Penn’s upset of No. 21 Villanova. Last night, there was more drama complete with streamers after Drexel nearly pulled off a win against Temple. However, it was the Owls who got its first Big 5 win and improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 2019-20 season following a 66-64 win over the Dragons.

What this has also done is set up a pretty wild final day in a dogfight for a spot in the championship game of the inaugural Big 5 Classic on Dec. 2. Our reporter Jeff Neiburg takes a look at the scenarios now that the dust has settled.

Next: Decision Day will arrive on Nov. 29 as Villanova will host Saint Joseph’s at 6:30 p.m. (FS1) and Temple will play La Salle at 7 p.m. (ESPN+).

The days may be short, but the offseason feels long. It’s an advent of sorts for baseball fans.

So as we wait for the migration to Clearwater, Fla., David Murphy shares his three thoughts on the trade and free agent markets for the Phillies, and it all comes down to what happens with one guy. Will Aaron Nola be back? And if not, how will Dave Dombrowski and Co. replace him? The answer, Murphy writes, may lie in an arm — or a collection of arms — currently on another roster.

Emma Hayes may be British, but she’s no stranger to America — or American soccer. The longtime Chelsea manager has a litany of stops in previous iterations of the NWSL, and now she’s officially coming back for one of the top jobs in the world: manager of the U.S. women’s national team.

Jonathan Tannenwald has more on Hayes, how much she wanted this job — and how much U.S. Soccer wanted her.

Next: The USWNT and China will play friendlies in December at 3 p.m. Dec. 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 5 (TNT).

The Flyers are 7-7-1, which isn’t shabby, considering the team has been without two of its top-six defensemen.

That could change soon, though, as Rasmus Ristolainen (lower body) and Marc Staal (upper body) were surprising additions to the practice group on Tuesday. While both players wore noncontact jerseys, it appears they are getting closer to returning for the Orange and Black.

Carter Hart also was back at practice Tuesday and said he is feeling much better after missing the past few games with what he determined to be food poisoning. According to Hart, it was just some “bad fish.”

Who was the only other Sixer besides Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone, Allen Iverson, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey to score 50 points?

Answer: Turns out there was more than one Sixer who scored 50 or more points in a game along with Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone, Allen Iverson, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey. C. Willie Burton AND D. Dana Barros did it. Stephen T. was first with the correct response.

We asked you: How will the Eagles fare against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl rematch?

The Birds have demonstrated to this fan that they have many weaknesses. While I’d want to be a homer, realistically they must tighten up on the errors. The penalties have been their downfall and that appears to be a combination of aggressiveness as well as mental. They have had a long spell to heal the injuries and address their deficiencies. Birds squeak out a 24-21 victory. — Dominic S.

Getting to play a SB rematch so soon after losing last year should certainly have our guys pumped up, but beating the Chiefs at home is never easy. They have lost 2 games so far and 1 at home and they are not really dominating anyone. If Hurts was 100% and Goedert playing I would be very confident, but of course they are not. Chiefs can get caught sleeping. They play in a weak division where they have no fear of ever not being #1. I am going to go for it and call for a 24-21 hard-fought Eagles victory. — Everett S.

I’m not optimistic about the Eagles’ chances in Kansas City. Pat Mahomes is gonna come out firing before a raucous home crowd. I hate to say it, but the Philly pass defense is very suspect. — Matt E.

The Eagles should be able to beat the Chiefs on Monday night. After losing to them in the Super Bowl, they will be extra motivated. This time, they are at home, and coming off a week of rest, when they had a chance to do more planning and strategizing. Andy Reid was always great when playing after a bye, and we can see if Nick Sirianni can do the same. The Eagles have not played as well as they did last year, but they are the only NFL 1-loss team. But the Chiefs also have not played as well as they did in 2022. Expect Hurts, Swift and the receivers Brown and Smith to have big games. If the Eagles remember not to go pass-happy, and call a balanced run/pass offensive game, they will win. In the absence of Goedert, they should play the best blocking tight end available. That is how Goedert adds the most to the Eagles offense. — Jay W.

Kenny Gainwell has a routine. Check the phone at halftime, send a text to his parents or girlfriend, get ready for the second half. But during the Eagles’ Oct. 29 game at Washington, he made the mistake of engaging with a frustrated fan who sent him a direct message. After the game, a screenshot of the exchange went public, and Gainwell and the Eagles had a mess on their hands. The incident, however, revived a conversation in sports: Is social media good for professional athletes? Is it worth it? Inquirer Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane posed these questions to the Eagles’ locker room in our latest episode of UnCovering the Birds. Listen here.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Mike Jensen, Keith Pompey, Jeff Neiburg, Matthew Frank, Maria McIlwain, Scott Lauber, Jonathan Tannenwald, Jackie Spiegel, and Matt Ryan.

That’s it for me today! I’ll be back tomorrow with more on the Sixers, Big 5 hoops, and more! — Maria

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